1935 Plymouth PJ Coupe

1936 Stainless Steel Ford Tudor Sedan

Owned by Joe & Elaine Floyd (Harrisburg, SD). One of only four in existence with more than 200,000 miles, this car was built for and owned by Allegheny Ludlum Steel for promotions. Top salesmen were honored with free use of the car for a year.

1948 Chevrolet 2 Door Sedan

1948 Chevrolet ½ Ton Pickup

Owned by Brady Torgerson & Brent Torgerson (Beulah, ND). The '48 has been in the family since 1950 when Great Uncle Oliver purchased it from a local farmer. Grandpa still tells stories about unloading grain out of the pickup. Brent began restoration in 2000 and it was fully completed in 2004. The straight six engine and transmission are original but the electrical has been converted to a 12 volt system and some of the rear body was replaced. The vehicle is a family treasure and even played a role in Brady and his wife’s wedding.

1949 Chevrolet Pickup

1950 Chevrolet Sedan

1950 Mercury Deluxe

1952 Jackson Rotrax Mk1 J.A.P.

Owned by Jeff Sirles (Pueblo, CO)
Growing up in Pennsylvania, I was always riding enduros (off-road racing motorcycles) in the mountains. Just down the road, however, I discovered Champion Speedway in Owego, New York. Immediately I was fascinated by the 500cc direct drive Speedway bikes. They ran on bean oil and methanol, leaving an aroma more hypnotic to me than 110 racing fuel or nitro methane. They accelerated as fast as an F1 car but didn't have brakes or gears. At the time, I thought this race format was everywhere, but after leaving the area, I never saw another Speedway track. Only a few dwindling spots in the U.S. sponsor this venue today but the sport still thrives in Europe where SPEEDTV carried the World Cup. Nearly forty years after my first encounter, I had search engines hunting for Speedway bikes to fill a special place in my collection, but they had risen in popularity and price to the point where I wrote off ever owning one. Then, it happened. I got a hit, but it wasn't just any hit. I had found a beautiful piece of motorcycle history. It was completely restored and had been used for Speedway displays for the last 15 years. Even better, this motorcycle was owned and raced from 1988 to 1999 in the Veterans Speedway Association Meetings in England by the late Vic Ridgeon after his career in British Speedway.
The previous owner bought the roller without the engine from Speedway Services in 2001 while on a trip to England. Although reluctant, the shop owner admitted he didn't have the time needed to restore the bike and agreed to sell. It was dismantled and shipped to the U.S. in boxes. The former owner corresponded with Vic himself who seemed pleased that he was restoring the bike and shared photos. In 2002, the owner installed a restored J.A.P. Long 5 stud bought from George Wenn, one of America's foremost speedway engine tuners. The engine has not been run. Because the frames and forks of Jackson Rotrax motorcycles were originally offered in cadmium or a more expensive chrome finished upgrade, the former owner chose chrome plating to show off the frame, forks, tanks, rims and bars. The spokes are stainless. The tires are unused and the rear is the early style Barum with small tread block design. The handle bars are the ones Vic used during the last years of his career and a small brass plaque on the rear fender pays tribute to Vic's time in professional Speedway. Now, I continue to dig into Vic’s career for any items I can find to add to the provenance of this piece of art.

1957 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz #1

1957 Chevrolet Nomad

Owned by James Pidgeon (Hudson, WI). A true lover of cars at a young age, James started working early to save his money. Shortly after his 16th birthday, he purchased the Nomad and absolutely adored it, driving almost every day for 10 years. One day, he decided to sell it to buy something bigger and better, or so he thought. Ever since, he was filled with regret and frequently reminisced about the car. Nearly 30 years later, James’ wife and four kids presented him with the Christmas gift of a lifetime. Not only had they found a 1957 Nomad, but this was the very car James owned years ago, in the same condition as the day he sold it. This reunion overwhelmed everyone with tears of joy. James and the family are enjoying the vehicle and every time he sits inside, it makes him feel like a kid again.

1957 Chevrolet 3100 NAPCO 4 x 4 Pickup

Owned by William Fenner Jr. (Kansas City, MO). Northwestern Auto Parts Company (NAPCO) got its start making specialized auto parts. After creating and testing accessories for WWII military vehicles, NAPCO turned to civilian goods. Among their products was the famous NAPCO Powr-Pak conversion kit which turned two wheel drive trucks into four wheel drive ‘mountain goats’ in as little as three hours and four holes. This early 4 X 4 featured unchanged turning radius, a full engine torque P.T.O. option, a rubber mounted transfer case for quiet operation, easier steering and a no damage to the frame installation guarantee.

1957 Ford Fairlane Retractable Hardtop

1957 Ford Thunderbird

1957 Harley Davidson FLH

1957 Pontiac Star Chief Convertible

Owned by Gene & Caryl Odenbrett. Gene and his wife purchased their second ’57 for restoration after finding that the original they sold years earlier ended up crushed in a salvage yard. They have since completed a frame off restoration to clone the car they enjoyed while dating. Both their children also drove the new trophy car for their weddings, just like their parents.

1958 Edsel (AKA Sledsel Kustom)

Owned by Bill & Pat Weickert. Bill’s car was a four year labor of love and has been christened ‘Sledsel’. Custom details include headlights from a 1958 Chevy pick-up and the console of a 1958 T-bird. All the badges on the car have been changed using original emblems to spell ‘S-L-E-D-S-E-L’ which required going through four cars to get enough letters. The Kustom air cleaner is made from one of the extra grills and the whole car was finished in details so small that they might escape the casual observer if not pointed out.

1961 Chevrolet Impala 'BubbleTop'

1961 Ford Falcon

1962 Chevrolet Corvette

1962 Chevrolet C10 Pickup

Owned by Keith Meyer (Alexandria, MN). Keith is both an insurance agent and a loyal insured who has completely restored the vehicle. His dad used this pickup in parades for his lumber yard and to pull the giant lutefisk in their hometown.

1962 Ford Galaxie

1963 Ford Falcon Convertible

1963 Ford Galaxie

1963 Rambler Classic 770, 2-door Sedan

Owned by Steve & Kathy Isola (Duluth, MN). The current owners of this 1963 Motor Trend magazine Car of the Year previously worked at the American Motors factory where the original owner first purchased the vehicle directly. The interior and upper paint is original, the engine has never been rebuilt and the car is stock with the only options being the heater and its famous reclining front seats that turn it into a travel bed. On 1963 models, even an exterior mirror, backup lights and windshield washer were options.

1965 Chevrolet Impala

Owned by Gerald & Marcilla Rohrich (Bismarck, ND). The Impala was Gerald’s first new car, which accompanied him on his first date with the woman who would later become his wife. He is proud to still have them both in his life.

1970 Dodge Challenger

1970 Plymouth Cuda Hemi 426

1972 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

1972 Fiat 124 Spyder

Owned by Mark Lindemer (Crown Point, IN). Mark is the original and only owner of the car. All three of his boys (now each over 30 years old) grew up with the car from the time they were infants in a car seat.

1972 Ford Mustang Mach 1

1974 Dodge Dart Swinger

1977 Oshkosh Sanford Fire Engine

Owned by Charles Helfrick (IL). From its time of manufacture, this engine, uniquely featuring two pumps, was well-cared for by the Slackwood Volunteer Fire Company until 2005. It is aptly nicknamed “Queen Mary” because of the two 3' Grover air horns, electronic siren feeding two 100 watt speakers and customary Federal Q siren.

2007 Lotus Exige S

2008 Limited-Edition Chevrolet Corvette

Auctioned by GM and proceeds donated to the American Red Cross for relief efforts in earthquake-stricken Haiti. The last of 427 cars built for North America, this vehicle sports a 7.0L 427cid LS7 V8 engine with 505hp and is signed by Will Cooksey, who retired as the Corvette plant manager after 15 years.